Starting a Rick Steves' Tour on August 25th in Haarlem. Unfortunately that is the same day as the Dutch Grand Pris in Zaandvort, 15 miles away. Haarlem has doubled the prices of their hotel rooms. Any suggestions on where to get a room for August 23 and 24th?
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5865 posts
I assume you’ve already checked Amsterdam. If not, check that first.
The Netherlands has a great rail system. I’d start looking for other places in the Netherlands that sound appealing to you for a visit. For example, Delft might be a good option. It is less than an hour by train from Schipol and also less than an hour from Haarlem.
Posted by
Wengen
2532 posts
Other good options are Den Haag and Leiden, and even Rotterdam would work. Rotterdam is quite an interesting city, and quite different from what you may expect form a Dutch city.
The trains get you everywhere. The whole of the Netherlands has a mass transit system that is better than what most US cities have, and by US standards probably most of the Netherlands is close to Haarlem :-)
Posted by
Denver, CO
797 posts
Utrecht could be another good option. It's only 30 mins from Schipol airport (assuming you fly in on the 23rd). But Delft, Leiden, Den Haag and of course Amsterdam are also great choices! It's wonderful how close towns are by train in the Netherlands!
Posted by
San Diego, California
5647 posts
Leiden is charming, we were just there in April. We loved the Hotel Steenhof. Don't stay too close to the train station, the old town is about a 20 minutes walk, or preferably, an easy bus ride. We would visit Leiden just to be in the town again. Good luck.